Actor Will Ferrell was involved in a severe car accident Thursday, April 12th, at 11:00 pm.
According to a police report, a 22-year-old male driver was driving a 2007 Toyota northbound on Interstate 5 in Orange County around 11:00 p.m. The driver was in the second lane while Ferrell, two passengers, and their chauffeur were in the high-occupancy vehicle lane to the driver’s left. They were in a 2017 Lincoln.
“For undetermined reasons,” the 22-year-old driver veered to the left and the left-front side of his Toyota hit the right rear of Ferrell’s vehicle. The hit caused the actor’s car to veer left and strike the center of a divider median. Ferrell’s car then overturned.
According to the report, he was taken to Mission Hospital for minor injury treatment. Steele and the chauffeur were also hospitalized for minor injuries; however, the female passenger was not wearing any safety equipment and ended up being hospitalized for “major injuries.” The driver of the Toyota didn’t sustain any injuries.
For decades we have been discussing the use of seatbelts. Statistics show that seatbelts save lives. When used correctly, wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45% and risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50%. For those riding in the rear of vans and SUVs during a car crash, rear seatbelts are 73% better at preventing fatalities. A stunning statistic: victims are not properly restrained in more than one-half of all fatal car accidents.
In 2016, seatbelt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,668 lives. Many understand the lifesaving value of the seatbelt – the national use rate is at 90.1 percent – but nearly 27.5 million people still don’t buckle up.
Having a properly trained security driver does not make the principal immune from accidents such as Ferrell’s. No matter how short the trip, ensure all passengers are wearing seatbelts.
We suggest reviewing the company policy concerning seatbelts. Here is a link to Travelers Insurance article covering the subject.
For more articles and news related to secure transportation, security, and executive protection, go to isdacenter.org or securitydriver.com.
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